Shakespeare References in Becoming Manny

Becoming Manny, a book about Manny Ramirez written by Jean Rhodes and Shawn Boburg, contains a few Shakespeare references. The first is a reference to Hamlet: "The basic premise behind cognitive psychology is, to quote Hamlet, 'There is nothing either good or bad but thinking makes it so'" (p. 186). That is a line, by the way, that I return to often, for I believe that there is nothing that is inherently good or bad. It is all perception and opinion. The next reference is both to Shakespeare and The Comedy Of Errors: "The fans may indulge in a few refrains of 'Sweet Caroline,' but as anyone who has ever soaked up the Fenway ambience knows, it's back to business when the music stops. Boston Herald sportswriter Mike Barnicle once quipped, 'Baseball isn't a life-and-death matter, but the Red Sox are,' and Manny's first few seasons in Boston played out like a Shakespearean tragedy cum comedy of errors" (p. 196). There is also a reference to Much Ado About Nothing: "So the deal died, much ado about little, just like all the others before it" (p. 248). The final reference is to The Tempest, and specifically a phrase from Ariel's song: "Then Globe columnist Gordon Edes noticed the sea change" (p. 275). Ariel sings, "Nothing of him that doth fade/But doth suffer a sea change."

Becoming Manny was published in 2009. The copy I read was the First Scribner hardcover edition from March 2009.